I'm Observant DiNozzo
by iwannagibbs
Summary: Just a little light something to start out the summer. Obviously, Kate is still alive and well.


**DISCLAIMER:** Of course these characters don't belong to me. No infringement intended.

"McGee, take all this evidence and the laptop back to Abby and help her get started on it. I want to know who our Petty Officer was talking to and what's on his computer when I get back. Kate, you and Tony are with me. I'll interview the CO while you two go over his apartment. Let's see if we can get this wrapped up quickly or your holiday weekend won't be much fun."

Special Agent Timothy McGee finished loading all the evidence from the scene and headed back to the Navy Yard. Special Agents Kate Todd and Anthony DiNozzo got in the car with their boss, Special Agent Jethro Gibbs and drove to Annapolis where the late Petty Officer had been stationed at the Naval Academy. Gibbs interviewed the victim's CO while Kate and Tony collected what little they could from his spartan quarters. After an hour the three met back at the car and compared notes.

"Nothing much in his quarters Boss, looked like he hadn't been there long enough to unpack."

"Makes sense, according to his commanding officer our petty officer had only been here two weeks after being on the USS Enterprise for the past eight months. Let's get back to the office and see what Abby and McGee have found. But first, I need coffee."

They all got in the car, Gibbs driving with Kate in the front and Tony sprawled out in the backseat. After a short drive, Gibbs pulled into a strip mall and parked in front of Starbucks. As he started to get out he asked Kate, "Do you want a drink?"

"Yes, Gibbs, thanks."

"Me too Boss", chimed in Tony.

"Then you better get out DiNozzo."

Tony wondered to himself why Kate didn't have to get out and get her own drink but he knew better than to say anything. Gibbs treated them all pretty much the same but everyone knew Kate was at least a little bit special to Gibbs. He didn't really cut her slack most of the time but there was just something about the way he talked to her and looked at her sometimes that kept Tony wondering. One these days, he thought, I'm going to ask.

When they go to the counter DiNozzo heard Gibbs order a large Jamaican blend for himself and a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème for Kate. Wow, Tony thought, there it is again, something really personal that Gibbs knows about Kate. He couldn't believe Gibbs could even remember the name of that concoction much less know that was what Kate wanted without asking her. And that got Tony to thinking--sometimes not a good thing.

As the settled in the backseat for the long ride to the Navy Yard in rush hour traffic, Tony began to make a mental list of the things Gibbs seemed to know about Kate that he didn't know or he didn't' know how Gibbs would know. First was her shoe size which Gibbs had known on her first day in the field. That is not included in the personnel file; Tony had checked. Gibbs always knew what to get for Kate when they ordered Chinese. Okay maybe not too difficult since they ate Chinese at least once a week. But what about the tattoo? That really bothered Tony. Gibbs had said one day in the bullpen, "it's not a rose", but how could he know that. Or maybe he was just saying that and he doesn't really know but it seemed to piss Kate off at the time so Tony figures Gibbs knows. And just yesterday Gibbs ordered her lunch for her while Kate was in the ladies room and Tony knew she hadn't said what she wanted because he had been there the whole time. And now the Frappuccino thingy. Traffic went from a slow crawl to a full stop and the Beltway was looking more like a parking lot than a freeway. Flashing light and sirens signaled they were going to be here a while.

DiNozzo thought, what the heck maybe since we're stuck here I'll just ask Gibbs right now how he knows all this stuff about Kate. He surely won't shoot me with all these witnesses around, Tony reasoned. No, he thought, the worst he would do would be make me get out and walk and I'd probably make better time that way So, Tony took a big swallow of his drink, screwed up his courage and said,

"Hey Boss, since it looks like we're going to be here a while mind if I ask you a question?"

"A question about the case, DiNozzo?"

"Well, not exactly Boss. More of a kinda personal question I'd say."

"Then the answer is yes, I mind."

"Oh come on Boss. It's not totally personal. Sort of business related. Kinda case related because its bugging me and I might get distracted with all the wondering, so…"

"Enough Tony!" Gibbs looked over at Kate who was just sitting there quietly with a sort of silly grin on her face. He gave her the slightest smile and cocked his eyebrows in a silent question. Kate's eyes smiled back and her barely perceptible nod gave him the answer he was looking for. The two of them had talked about someone finding out about their relationship from the time they first got together. Gibbs would have been disappointed in his agents if they had not suspected something eventually. After all he and Kate had been together since he had killed that potential presidential assassin on Air Force One. When Kate gave Jethro the nod he knew she was prepared for him to answer Tony's questions.

"Ah come on Boss. We gotta talk about something while we sit here. We've already covered everything on the case. I know how you feel about us being focused on our work and I just need some clarification on a couple of things so I can focus better."

"Okay Tony."

"I mean you don't want my mind to wander do you?"

"DiNozzo, if your mind wandered anymore you would be in another state! Now, stop rambling and ask your question."

"Oh, okay, well yeah, I was just wondering how come you know so much stuff about Kate. Personal kind of stuff."

"Well, DiNozzo, Kate works for me. I know a lot of personal stuff about you and McGee and Abby and Ducky as well."

Kate looked over at Jethro and smiled. She knew he was going to enjoy torturing Tony for as long as possible.

"Yeah Boss, I know but, well for instance, do you know my shoe size? You said you know Kate's tat isn't a rose. And yesterday you ordered her lunch for her when she wasn't even there. Just now you got her that really complicated drink without having to ask her what she wanted." Tony stopped when Gibbs turned around in the seat and fixed him with the "Gibbs stare."

"Okay Tony, there was only one question in all that and the answer is no, I don't know your shoe size. Satisfied?"

"No. No Boss not at all. What I meant was how do you know all that stuff about Kate? Do you really know what and where her tat is? And how do you know what she'd want for lunch?" Tony was on a roll now so he added, "it just seems like you two have a, I don't know, a connection of some kind."

Gibbs looked from Tony to Kate and smiled. Traffic was beginning to move up ahead so he decided to put DiNozzo out of his misery.

"I know what Kate drinks and what she likes to eat for lunch because I'm observant, Tony, especially when it comes to Agent Todd. I pay attention to what she likes and what she doesn't like. I know that she prefers a salad for lunch and I know the Double Chocolate Chip thingy is her favorite drink right now."

"Yeah, that's cool Boss but really I'm more interested in the tattoo and shoe size issues."

"Like I said Tony, I'm observant. The first night Kate spent at my house I observed her tattoo when she stepped out of the shower. I observed her shoe size when I finally located her right shoe under my boat the next morning."

At that Gibbs glanced in the rearview mirror and was pleased to see Tony's mouth opening and closing but no sounds coming out. The look on his face was absolutely priceless and made sitting traffic for half an hour well worth the time. Jethro looked over at Kate who was laughing so hard tears were running down her face. She reached out and squeezed his hand as they finally started moving again. They both knew Tony wouldn't be speechless for long and that meant life was about to get very interesting.


End file.
